Cronos Station Can Wait
by Rae D. Magdon
Summary: Sequel to Ilos Can Wait and Hagalaz Can Wait. Liara comforts Shepard before the start of the final battle. An explicit extension of the cinematic before Cronos Station in ME3.


**Pairing:** Liara T'Soni/FemShepard

**Spoilers:** Mass Effect 1, 2, 3

**AN:** An explicit extension of the cinematic before the assault on TIM's base. Sequel to Ilos Can Wait and Hagalaz Can Wait.

...

**Cronos Station Can Wait**

...

"I love you, Liara T'Soni."

"I... I love you, too."

Both of their eyes drifted shut as Shepard and Liara's lips brushed together in a soft but powerful kiss. It was not gentle and exploratory, as their kisses before Ilos had been, or desperate and flavored with loss, as their kisses after the defeat of the Shadow Broker had been. But it was reaffirming, whole, a promise that nothing, not even death, would separate them again. Not this time.

They fell back together on the bed, Liara's fingers weaving through Shepard's hair, Shepard's hands gently caressing the folds of skin at the back of the asari's neck. Shepard's other hand cupped the swell of Liara's hip beneath her lab coat, her palm tingling even though it couldn't feel bare flesh yet.

They kissed for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes.

"Shepard, I –" Liara began.

"- I know."

What more was there to say? They had been to hell and back since their first meeting years ago, and their relationship had experienced its ups and downs. Now, on the edge of losing it all, Liara allowed herself the bliss of wanting, needing, and experiencing nothing but Shepard. The rest didn't matter. Later, they would worry about casualties, survival, and the end of the universe. But this moment was about life and love.

Liara moved to get up from the bed, pulling out of Shepard's embrace, shivering as the human's fingers slid along the tendrils at the back of her head. Shepard knew how sensitive her crest was, and took advantage of the erogenous zone whenever she had the chance. "Come back... please..."

"Be patient," Liara murmured, reaching down to stroke Shepard's cheek. She was pleased to see the Commander's eyes drift shut and her throat bob as she swallowed in anticipation.

Shepard's lips parted slightly, and she gripped Liara's hand, kissing her knuckles. "Don't go..." she pleaded.

Liara's eyelashes lowered seductively as she pulled away from Shepard again. "Never," she said as she began stripping out of her clothes, encouraging Shepard to do the same with a heated look. As their hands moved over their own bodies, undoing buttons and clasps and shimmying out of pants, they watched each other, zeroing in on every new piece of flesh as it was revealed.

Once they were naked, Shepard reclined against the pillows, taking in the vision at the foot of her bed. Liara was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, exotic and familiar at the same time. The landscape of her body wasn't exactly as Shepard remembered it. Her breasts were fuller, her face a little more angular, but still achingly lovely. She smiled as Liara began gliding towards her, the bare skin of her shoulders glowing as purple wisps of biotic energy surrounded them both. Shepard smiled as she glanced at Liara's navel and the flat plane of her abdomen. Some things hadn't changed – the doctor was still an 'outie'. Her dark lips were curled in a smile that was pure sex, and Shepard felt an answering pull deep within her abdomen.

Liara wasted almost no time climbing back onto the mattress, crawling over Shepard on her hands and knees, hovering just out of reach. Shepard groaned as her lover's bare flesh pressed against hers, enjoying the warmth and texture that was wholly and uniquely Liara. Her skin was different, ever so slightly scaled, particularly around the crest of her head, but also incredibly soft and hot to the touch, like supple, expensive leather. And it felt so incredibly good as they brushed against each other.

Everywhere Liara's palms touched – her arms, her shoulders, the sides of her breasts – a tingling hum began to spread, the vibration of her biotics. They kissed again and again as Liara's hands wandered, claiming territory they had exclusive rights to, conquering her Commander thoroughly and completely. She knew Shepard's docility wouldn't last long, but she was going to enjoy it until then.

"Join with me," Shepard asked breathlessly, the last thing she would beg for. She knew that once Liara felt her desire, her want, she would lose control of the scene completely. That was how Shepard wanted it – for now, at least. Liara had seen her at her most vulnerable, had soothed her doubts, had offered strength and support. It was her turn to do the same through physical touch.

This time, there was no hesitation. Liara didn't pause to ask if her lover was sure. She already knew. To Shepard, the touch of her mind was just as welcome as the touch of her hands and lips.

"Embrace eternity..."

Warmth raced beneath her skin, heating her blood as she felt Liara's consciousness embracing hers, twining with it, weaving together endlessly like two strands of a braid. She barely noticed the floating purple sparks pulse brighter beside them as Liara's eyes flared a deep, endless black.

Their souls knew each other.

Liara gasped as the entirety of Shepard's emotions rushed in to fill her, all of her hopes, her fears, her dreams and desires. The asari was pleased to find that she suffused all of them. Everything Shepard experienced was for her, the good and the bad, the things she wanted and the things she was afraid of. Like it or not, they would never be rid of each other now. They had left inerasable impressions on each other's hearts.

_'Home._ _Within each other, we're home...'_

Pure need. Unrestrained.

'..._ no more chances to divide us...'_

Not two, but one. We. Whole. Joined. Eternal.

_'Kiss me. Touch. Just there. Feel me – I feel you...'_

_'Love you.'_

In the moment of complete and utter bliss that was the start of the joining, Shepard used Liara's distraction to flip her over, snaking an arm around her waist and holding her tight. Her hands and lips were everywhere, trailing along Liara's generous hips, suckling the hard tip of a breast, kissing frantically up along her collarbone and nibbling at her neck. Liara was helpless under the onslaught of physical, mental, and emotional touches. All she could do was clutch at Shepard's back, occasionally forgetting herself and using her nails to scratch the skin.

Feeling Liara's heat pressed above her knee, thighs parted, inviting her touch, sending wave after crashing wave of love and need through the mental link almost short-circuited Shepard's brain. Her flesh tingled and burned, especially where Liara's hands were touching her, but everywhere else as well. She suspected the asari's biotics were flaring, but she didn't care. Shepard wanted Liara hungry, ravenous, out of control.

_'Mine,'_ was Shepard's only thought, the only word she could conjure amidst the sea of emotions.

_'Yours,'_ the part of Liara that was still cognizant of herself agreed. She could hardly tell the difference between them anymore. Everything was getting fuzzy, and she experienced the physical realm only in flashes. Shepard's bright eyes. Soft hair threaded through her fingers. Powerful muscles under her hands. Wetness rubbing above her knee. A firm thigh between her legs. Warm breath, low groans from both of them.

Wanting to join with Liara physically as well as mentally, Shepard slid her hand down over Liara's stomach, enjoying the way her abdominal muscles twitched. She paused to run her thumb over the asari's navel, which protruded just a little instead of dipping in like hers. Liara's hips pushed forward, coating the top of Shepard's thigh with slick heat.

_'Kiss me. Please. I need you to kiss me when you take me.'_

It was becoming harder for both of them to remember what 'you' and 'me' actually meant, since they were melding into a single 'we', but they held just enough of themselves back to direct and meet each other's physical needs. Once they were on the right track, their bodies would take over and they could lose themselves in each other's minds.

Shepard's mouth collided with Liara's, kissing her until they both struggled to breathe. Even then, instead of pulling away, she pressed quick pecks around the outline of Liara's purple lips. The human's hand ran up along the asari's inner thigh, stopping just short of her goal. "I love you," she forced herself to say, knowing that Liara could feel as well as hear the words.

"Love you – Goddess, touch me..."

Liara felt the spike of pleasure her plea caused Shepard, and both of them shuddered as the human's fingers finally made contact, exploring the slick folds between Liara's legs. Her nails dug into the flesh of Shepard's back, and she felt pinpricks along her own shoulders. Meanwhile, Shepard tried to ignore the teasing, ghostly sensation of her own fingers. Even after all this time, she still found it a little bizarre to experience her own touch through their meld. It was one of the best and also one of the most bothersome parts of the joining. The sensations were intense, but that meant she could never focus completely on pleasing Liara. When they released, it was always together.

She lost even more of her focus when one of Liara's hands stopped clutching at her shoulder and snaked down between their bodies. The only way Shepard could describe it was an endless reflection – they felt each other's pleasure and it amplified their own until it became something so powerful that their bodies could barely contain it.

Shepard took a low, hitched breath as Liara's thumb fell into place over her, stroking in maddening circles and making her own hand falter. Somehow, perhaps relying on instinct, she managed to work one finger inside her lover, then a second. A few shallow thrusts caused Liara to whimper and gasp beside Shepard's ear. The human began another trail of kisses down Liara's throat, briefly thankful for how much sensory information the meld allowed them to share. She knew just how hard to use her teeth, how fast to stroke, and exactly where the sensitive spot inside of Liara was, the one that made her tremble and melt in Shepard's arms.

Thoughts, feelings, and desires rushed back and forth across the invisible thread that bound their minds. They were one flesh. One body. A single soul. _'Don't stop - don't leave... don't ever leave...'_

_'Here. Have you.'_

_'Can't lose you again.'_

They couldn't tell which of them had voiced that fear, but they both responded with a surge of love and reassurance. And with their minds completely melded, they couldn't help but believe and trust.

_'I want – I want to...'_

Shepard gasped as she felt exactly what Liara wanted from her. For reasons she couldn't understand, the idea tugged at her heartstrings. Set her body on fire. Maybe part of that was Liara's desire, but Shepard was sure that a good portion of it had originated within her. It was hard, so incredibly hard to resist. The thought was intoxicating. _'After we win. We will. I swear we will... God, I want to... want – to...'_

Liara felt Shepard's resolve disappear and her answer change from a 'no' into a 'yes'. She sensed just how much her lover wanted this with her. Craved it, even. And that made her want it even more...

But it would be selfish. The universe was depending on them. If they won – _when_ they won – there would be time.

She would go deep enough within Shepard to send both of them over the edge, but she wouldn't use the genetic impression she took to conceive. Not this time. But Goddess, she wanted to...

_'Trust me.'_

_'But I want –'_

Liara found their positions completely reversed. Shepard was the one losing control, and she could only hope that her own newfound resolve would last. She tried to soothe some of the ache by speeding up the hand working between Shepard's legs. The Commander yelped in the physical realm, and Liara knew that they wouldn't be able to stretch this round out much longer. What was left of Liara's control was burning down fast, and Shepard's body was already hovering on the edge.

_'Embrace eternity. Let go.'_

Shepard felt Liara begin to draw from her, and the taking was rapturous. In the same moment, she curled her fingers sharply forward within her lover's heat, feeling the asari's inner walls flutter and spasm around her. The warm muscles clutched her so tightly that she couldn't move, but she kept massaging as best she could with the heel of her hand.

Liara tried hard to keep up the motion of her own fingers, but all she could do was press forward blindly, both into Shepard's mind and into her body, savoring every second of their joined release. Their hips bucked and rolled against each other, spines arching, their free hands clutching whatever body part was nearest – Liara clawed at Shepard's shoulder from behind, oblivious to the bite of her nails, and Shepard's hand gripped Liara's right hip hard enough to leave purple, finger-shaped marks on her blue skin.

It was frantic and needful, but neither of them cared.

After the waves became eddies, they lay together panting for breath, hearts hammering in their chests. It took them several silent minutes to recuperate.

_'Did we...?'_ Shepard thought when her head began to clear.

"No," Liara said, her voice breaking. "No, I – I was able to hold back. I think." For some reason, the statement nearly made her cry.

Shepard didn't know whether to be relieved or bitterly disappointed. She remembered just how badly the desire for a child – their child – had burned within them both. "I didn't know it was possible to want something so much."

Liara sighed. Thought about removing her fingers from their snug place inside her lover. Decided against it. The echoes of their bond told her that Shepard did not want to break the physical connection yet. Neither did she. The stretch inside of her, inside both of them, was comforting.

"If I was being scientific," she said, surprised that she could talk at all after what her body had just endured, "I would say we experienced an evolutionary byproduct. A neurochemical reaction to make both of us more receptive to conceiving." Since an asari could choose whether or not to begin a pregnancy, the only way children would ever be born was if their parents wanted them. "But if I were to be romantic..."

Shepard gave a gentle nip to Liara's collarbone, her fingers stirring ever so slightly, and Liara shivered.

"If I were to be romantic," she continued, her voice slightly higher pitched and a little breathier, "I would say that it happened because I really, really love you. I want to give you children, Shepard. So much that I – I can't..."

"You will. _We_ will. When we're ready."

"Goddess, I felt ready!"

Both of them laughed. "Ready enough for round two?" Shepard purred, kissing the tip of Liara's nose as she repositioned her thumb against the hard, sensitive ridge that brought her lover the most pleasure. "Or would that be tempting fate?"

Liara's thigh muscles flexed, and she began to nibble on Shepard's lower lip. "No. I'm not letting one near miss ruin the night."

With obvious enthusiasm, Liara overcame her tiredness. She ignored the protests of her burning muscles, flipping Shepard over and pinning the Commander on her back. Liara grabbed Shepard's hand, bringing the wet fingers to her lips and taking them in her mouth. After she had cleaned them, she went to work on the fingers of her own right hand. Since they were no longer joined, she hummed with pleasure to let her lover know that she approved of the taste.

Shepard's hands ran up and down the asari's thighs, enjoying the view as Liara straddled her hips. "Hmm. I think I like having you on top of me," she said, her eyes traveling up and down the deliciously naked form above her. "But we've got the whole night. Maybe we should just start at the beginning of the Kama Sutra and work our way through?"

"The... what, Shepard?"

The Commander smirked up at her lover. "Ancient human book of sexual positions. Some of them exotic."

Liara blushed. "That sounds very... educational..."

"I haven't actually read it," Shepard laughed. "All I want is you, however you want, as often as you want."

"However I want?" No longer embarrassed, Liara smiled instead. "I see. How about this?" She touched Shepard's arm and leaned forward, gazing into her eyes. Liara's own eyes flashed black, and she didn't even bother to warn her lover with a courteous 'Embrace Eternity.' Shepard instantly saw herself hovering over Liara's face, flipped so that both of their mouths could reach each other at the same time.

A name for the position floated back to Liara's mind, and the asari's forehead creased in confusion. "You number your sexual positions? This is sixty nine? What about the other sixty eight positions before that?"

Shepard burst out laughing. "Whoa, slow down. It's just slang, there aren't sixty eight other positions... at least, I don't think there are..." She thought about it, then shook her head. "The number six and the number nine look like that position when they're written next to each other and flipped on their side." Shepard drew the pattern on the bare flesh of Liara's stomach, making the Shadow Broker laugh at the ticklish sensation.

"Ah, I see. I am somewhat disappointed, but also a little relieved. I'm not sure I have the energy for sixty nine different sexual positions in one night. I wouldn't have objected to trying, however."

"How about just the one?" Remembering that Liara had been below her in the brief mental picture, Shepard gripped the asari's hips and flipped her onto her back. "You weren't on top for long, were you?" she asked, stealing quick pecks from Liara's dark lips. "Did you enjoy it while it lasted?"

"I think," Liara murmured, "that I will enjoy this even more." With steady pressure on the back of Shepard's thighs, she coaxed her bondmate to kneel over her, gently guiding her higher along her torso. "You did most of the work earlier. Just let me..."

Somehow, Shepard found herself staring down with her knees on either side of Liara's head. She looked slightly wary – unsure if this position felt vulnerable or dominating to her – but Liara's warm hands stroked her thighs reassuringly. "I thought you wanted... ohhh..." She lost her train of thought as Liara's wicked tongue flicked against her. Then, as soon as she felt it, the fleeting touch was gone.

Liara icked her lips. "This is step one. There is no rush... allow me to enjoy you for a moment." She didn't give Shepard a chance to make up her mind before closing her eyes and pulling the human's hips forcefully down against her mouth.

"Li-ar... ah..." Shepard gasped, chewing furiously on the inside of her cheek. She resisted the temptation to grind down hard against the warm mouth and nose nuzzling against her, not wanting to be too forceful. Her knees nearly gave out when she felt Liara's lips latch onto her clit from below, using her thumbs to expose even more of the hard bundle to her loving attention.

It was incredibly difficult for Shepard to pull away from her lover's tongue, but somehow she managed to flip herself around even while Liara grasped at her waist, trying to hold her in place. "Stop... moving – you stubborn... I can't – ahh!" The asari cried out as Shepard finally achieved her goal, covering Liara with a broad sweep of her tongue. She was pleased when she noticed her lover's toes literally curl, gripping the sheets below them.

Far from discouraged, Liara lifted her head slightly and pulled Shepard's pelvis the rest of the way down to meet her mouth, determined to give as good as she was getting. Besides, while they weren't joined, she had the distinct advantage. It was a little more difficult, since she had to rely on physical cues instead of mental ones to figure out whether or not she was hitting the right spots, but far from impossible.

Shepard knew that Liara needed the joining, and was deliberately denying herself. The closest analogy she could come up with was a man thinking about sports statistics in bed to last longer, and the comparison would have made her laugh if her mouth wasn't otherwise pleasantly occupied. She didn't get to do this as often as she would have liked, but she always loved Liara's taste. There were more traces of sweetness than she was used to, and the texture was a different kind of slippery – thinner, more like oil. Not to mention she was blue everywhere. The pastel shade of her skin darkened until it became almost a royal blue around her outer lips, darkening to purple-tinged velvet hue deeper within.

She tore her mouth away just long enough to say, "aren't you forgetting something?" It wasn't easy to form the sentence, since Liara never stopped her own thorough exploration between Shepard's legs.

"Mm," she moaned against wet flesh, grazing her teeth against the protective hood that hid the prize she was currently seeking.

"You know it will feel amazing if you..." Kiss. "Just..." Lick. "Join." Kiss. "With me."

Liara's fingers gripped the backs of her thighs tight, almost to the point of discomfort.

"Please?" A long, slow suck. Liara groaned against Shepard's folds, and the vibrations heightened her own arousal.

"I want you to... For _me._"

That did it.

Liara sent her mind flying towards Shepard's so fast that the biotics floating around their bodies exploded in a shower of purple sparks. The joining was frenzied, emotions spilling over the edges of their souls and in to each other like rushing water. It was too much, too fast for either of them to grasp.

While they were busy trying to sort out all the confusion within their minds, their lips and tongues didn't stop moving. Fingers tightened around thighs, perhaps a little too tightly, lungs burning from lack of oxygen. Neither of them cared.

Release took both of them by surprise, and Shepard's legs nearly gave out. As the spasms threatened to shake her apart, she somehow managed to lower herself onto Liara without crushing her, one cheek sticking to the asari's inner thigh as she panted for breath. She replaced her mouth with her hand, cupping Liara protectively as the asari's hips bucked, milking every last pulse of her orgasm. What had just happened couldn't be described as anything less than an explosion.

"Goddess, Shepard," Liara said, her voice breaking as the words caught in her dry, hoarse throat. "That was incredible."

"A little fast, but yeah..." Shepard thought that their first round had left both of them ready and eager for more. Really good sex, she was beginning to realize, didn't satisfy you, but left you hungry and aching for more instead.

"Just – give me a moment..." the shadow broker panted. "Then we can –"

Shepard somehow managed to roll off Liara and pick herself up, wanting nothing more than to scoop her lover into her arms and hold her close. "Rest for a minute. We have time..."

That wasn't exactly true. Tomorrow, there were no guarantees that their assault on the Illusive Man's base would be successful. Even if Cronos Station fell and they retrieved the data, the Reapers might still destroy everything. But they couldn't take this from them. Their love. And Shepard would fight to defend it with every ounce of strength she possessed. She would not allow their future, a future that hovered right at their fingertips, to be snatched away from her so easily.

"Yes," Liara agreed, wiping her mouth with the back of one hand in a way that made Shepard's eyes widen. Anyone else would have made that motion look undignified, but somehow, Liara managed to make it sexy. Then, her tongue darted out to taste her lower lip, and Shepard forgot what she had been thinking about. "You are _all mine_ for the remainder of the night... and for a lot longer after that. For now, though, how does a hot shower sound? With me?"

Shepard had to admit that a hot shower with Liara sounded sinfully good. "I like the way you think," the human said, stroking Liara's lower belly with a lazy hand. "A shower it is... in a minute."

The shower could wait. Morning and the Cronos station could wait. Saving the universe was a task for tomorrow. For now, they had this, and Shepard couldn't think of anything better.


End file.
